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LIVING WITH LUPUS... Dealing with flares.

Living with Lupus

Despite the symptoms of lupus and the potential side-effects of treatment, people with lupus can maintain a high quality of life overall. One key to managing lupus is to understand the disease and its impact. Learning to recognize the warning signs of a flare can help the patient take steps to ward it off or reduce its intensity.

Many people with lupus experience increased fatigue, pain, a rash, fever, abdominal discomfort, headache, or dizziness just before a flare. Developing strategies to prevent flares can also be helpful, such as learning to recognize your warning signals and maintaining good communication with your doctor.

It is also important for people with lupus to receive regular health care, instead of seeking help only when symptoms worsen. Results from a medical exam and laboratory work on a regular basis allows the doctor to note any changes and to identify and treat flares early. The treatment plan, which is tailored to the individualís specific needs and circumstances, can be adjusted accordingly.

If new symptoms are identified early, treatments may be more effective. Other concerns also can be addressed at regular checkups. The doctor can provide guidance about such issues as the use of sunscreens, stress reduction, and the importance of structured exercise and rest, as well as birth control and family planning. Because people with lupus can be more susceptible to infections, the doctor may recommend yearly influenza vaccinations or pneumococcal vaccinations for some patients.

Women with lupus should receive regular preventive health care, such as gynecological and breast examinations. Men with lupus should have the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. Both men and women need to have their blood pressure and cholesterol checked on a regular basis. If a person is taking corticosteroids or antimalarial medications, an eye exam should be done at least yearly to screen for and treat eye problems.
Learning to recognize the warning signs of a flare can help the patient take steps to ward it off or reduce its intensity.

Staying healthy requires extra effort and care for people with lupus, so it becomes especially important to develop strategies for maintaining wellness. Wellness involves close attention to the body, mind, and spirit. One of the primary goals of wellness for people with lupus is coping with the stress of having a chronic disorder. Effective stress management varies from person to person. Some approaches that may help include exercise, relaxation techniques such as meditation, and setting priorities for spending time and energy.

Keeping A Flare At Bay

Doctors have identified healthy habits that can help you avoid triggering a lupus flare.

* Always take your medication as prescribed.
* Keep your doctor's appointments, even if you're feeling well.
* Avoid taking sulfa drugs (sulfonomides) that are used to treat infections such as bronchitis and urinary tract infections. * Limit your exposure to sunlight; apply sunscreen before going outside during the day, and wear sun-protective clothing and a wide-brimmed hat.
* Reduce your risk of infections.
* Get plenty of rest.
* Do not smoke.

I have been living with SLE for 39 years. I recently was told that I have an auto-immune irritation in both of my eyes. The doctor has me taking cortisone drops in both eyes. --one drop, four times a day.I bought myself some eye vitamins too. My eyes seems to be feeling better now after three weeks of treatments. I am no longer having visual disturbances.Ifirst discovered something was wrong with my vision, when I was in the sun, it looked like there was glitter sparkling in my right eye, and it looked like there was a fuzzy area in the center of my vision in my that eye. Praise the Lord, things are looking pretty good again. no more glitter sparkling in the sun.You have to visit your eye doctor for regular checkups when you have lupus. We lupus people can allso have a problem with dry eyes.-Sjogrens is the name of the problem related to dry eyes. Good luck. Happy summer.